Home Forums Reloading Bullet Casting note to self!!!!!!!!!!!!!

take boolits out of the stove before saying "Yes Mam" and running the dogs.


that's 5000g of melted boolits

Ya might want to run them through a sizing die. miles

twice! glad my mold is 4 cav.

Bummer!

However, your problem was temperature, not timing; that oven was way too hot. If your oven really is at 400* (or 350-375 for some powders) you could leave them in there for a couple hours without any problems. If you're overheating the powder coating, it won't perform as well too, besides maybe melting bullets.

I keep saying - you have to check temp with an oven thermometer, otherwise you just don't know, same as your lead melting pot for casting. They only cost a few bucks.

yondering, i dont use my (the boss's) oven
the front of our wood stove has a slot for convection air movement and m cookie tray just fits. also there is a thermostat reading the temp for catalytic converter control. been pcing this way for 4 years now as the boss makes funny noises when i head for the oven.
while i was running the dogs the boss stoked the fire and decided to burn the creosote out of the pipe. only boolits that melted were close to the pipe.
never have used a thermometer and have been pcing a long time.

OK, whatever works for you. However, temperature does matter for powder coating, and you will get better results with the correctly prescribed time & temp per the powder manufacturer.

You cast without a thermometer too?

I've been casting without a thermometer for 35 years. Definitely not necessary. Your bullets will tell you when the melt is too warm or too cold.

Don

Marine powder coating, adapt, overcome, improvise!


used a thermometer 50 years ago when i first started casting. it broke and never replaced it. just watch fluidity and color.

I'm more fascinated by your stove. What kind is that?

J71248, the stove is a Kuma Sequoia, which is the largest model Kuma makes. i have had 2 (two houses) since they started their business and would't have anything else.
this model has a 8 inch flue ring and is catalytic. it will heat 3.8k sq ft if the ceilings aren't to vaulted.
i can stoke it at 8 pm and at 7am there is a full bed of heavy coals. i run it at about 600* inside firebox temp so the cat is fired off.
you can look at the china hat and all you see is heat shimmer, no smoke. best burning stove i ever had, and i have lived with wood heat all my life.
www.kumastoves.com/store/productdetails/sequoia
can't say enough good about them

Can you reuse the metal of ruined power-coated bullets?

absolutely
just dump them in the pot in a well vented area, melt , flux, skim and it's all good.

i have been casting since the 70's, and no thermometer. Until about a year ago i bought one, and i do use it now.
mainly to see temps vs. different types of alloys i am putting together.